Construction of Sam Houston Hall

Author

Schlueter, Frank J.

Date

1928-05-12

Description

Constructing Sam Houston Hall, commonly known as National Democratic Convention Hall. Kenneth Franzeim was the primary architect with W. A. Dowdy City Architect. Sam Houston Hall, with a seating capacity of 16,000 and six acres of floor space, was built in sixty-four working days.

Citation

Abstract

In the winter of 1927 Jesse H. Jones traveled to Washington D.C. with a certified check for $200,000 to enter Houston's bid for the Democratic National Convention to be held the following summer. In what is generally recognized as a conciliatory move, the national committee accepted the city's offer. Even then the nomination of Al Smith-the Catholic, Tammany Hall-backed New York governor who aggressively opposed prohibition-seemed likely, and national party officials in the East felt the need to appease the Protestant, prohibitionist South, which had not hosted a national convention since the Civil War. The convention ran from June 26 through June 29. Al Smith received the nomination. Because of his anti-prohibition stance many anti-Smith Democrats eventually joined forces with Republicans and elected Herbert Hoover in November 1928. (From the Handbook of Texas Online.)